The Richmond Fellowship has been named as the provider for the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner’s £700,000 scheme to tackle domestic violence and abuse.
The two-year Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programme (DVPP) will cover the entire West Midlands.
The scheme will target husbands and boyfriends who commit domestic violence and abuse. Experts from the Richmond Fellowship will work closely with them to reduce their offending and improve families’ lives for the better.
It is a voluntary programme for fathers aged 18 and over who have been asked to participate in the programme as part of a Child Protection Plan or Child in Need Plan.
A support service for their female partners and children will also be provided by the West Midlands Domestic Violence Consortium.
The service will begin to deliver initial programmes from now and the full service will be up and running by April.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said,
“Supporting victims of domestic abuse is crucial work that will continue. This project aims to reduce that abuse happening in the first place.
“The Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programme will work with offenders to change their ways and improve the safety of their families.
“I hope it will make a real difference and improve the lives of hundreds of families. The Richmond Fellowship have a strong track record and I look forward to working closely with them.”
Derek Caren, Chief Executive of Richmond Fellowship, said: “We’re proud to be working with the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner to tackle domestic violence.
“This new service will use our experience of supporting domestic violence victims throughout the West Midlands to help protect victims, tackle recidivism and make it safer for people to come forward and report domestic violence.
“Our programme will address attitudes and beliefs to protect the victims of domestic violence and their families.”
Maureen Connolly, the lead for domestic abuse on the PCC’s Victims Commission and Chief Executive of Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid, said: “The West Midlands Specialist Domestic Abuse Consortium has been impressed by the considered approach that the Police and Crime Commissioner has taken in developing the forthcoming domestic abuse perpetrator programme. The commitment to its delivery, as one element of an integrated offender management model, is to be welcomed and our specialist agencies look forward to working alongside to offer support and guidance to women and their children who have been harmed by abuse at the hands of the perpetrators that will be in the programme.”
The Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programme is a two year pilot that may be rolled out more widely if successful.
The aim of the programme is to get offenders to change their ways, improve safety for women and children and reduce reoffending.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner funds a number of services for both male and female victims of domestic abuse.
Back to News Archive